Martin Luther King, Jr. (image in public domain according to AmericanRhetoric.com)

On August 23, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. He had given an earlier version in Detroit in June 1963.

Everyone knows about the speech, among the greatest in American history. But one must read it in its entirety to understand its power, its majesty, and the force and urgency that it still carries today.

Dr. King’s estate, which holds the copyright to the speech, has licensed it so that it can be read and heard. Cooley Law School urges you to read and listen to it: I Have a Dream